The Redundancy of the Arts

My teacher asked us what the most famous first line in literature was. All of us were stumped. She said it was "Call me Ishmael" from 'Moby Dick' and the second most famous line was from 'Pride and Prejudice'-“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” I was intrigued. I asked her why were these lines chosen, out of the vast selection of literature. Now it was her turn to be stumped. She did not know how to respond. I thought to myself, "No matter, I shall check it out on the trusty internet". But to my surprise, even that could not give me an answer. I decided to read 'Moby Dick'. And even then I could not fathom why it was one of the most famous lines. Even 'Pride and Prejudice', a book I've read a countless number of times. Why those lines? What did it signify? What made it so special? And the fact that a Literature professor could not answer that just goes to show how the arts are slowly dying.I'm saying this as a student of the Arts. How can we expect to survive if we don't change with the times? We cannot be studying the same works over and over again. There is no doubt that Faulkner, Melville, Chaucer and the like were all brilliant. But they were the past. That's where the Arts resides. In the past. Holding onto something that's no longer there. Yes, the past is important. But so are the present and the future. The subject of Literature refuses to regard anything contemporary as art. And that is what is their shortcoming. I guess a 100 years later, our works will be considered 'art'. But don't they see? Anything that represents the world as it is today, is ART. Whether it is a satirical tirade against Donald Trump, a stand-up comedian, a writer, a painter. It's all art. Jhumpa Lahiri (and so many others), with her words, paints a world so real, you can almost touch it. It's a world we recognize. It's the world we live in. And isn't that the world we should be studying? I'm not saying we should forget all the Greats. We shouldn't. But what context are we learning them in? How will we ever apply this in the real world? An interviewer doesn't care if you know the most famous first line. He wants to know if you can do the job. The Arts are a window to understanding the world in a way like no other. And if you truly understand the world you live in, there isn't a better candidate than you. It tells you the harsh reality, and yet gives you a ray of hope. It helps you see the beauty and the ugliness. The Arts has the potential to be the guideline to live one's life to the fullest. If only we could get our heads out of our asses.